The immunosuppressant rituximab may help stabilize lung function in people with systemic sclerosis-related interstitial lung disease (SSc-ILD), a study suggests.
The study,“Rituximab treatment for systemic sclerosis associated interstitial lung disease – A case series of 13 patients,” was published in the Internal Medicine Journal.
Rituximab, a medication that triggers the death of B-cells, a type of immune cell, has been used off-label to treat SSc patients who have ILD, a groups of conditions marked by scarring of the lungs. The medication is marketed as Rituxan in the U.S., and as MabThera in Europe, and is also available as a range of biosimilars.